11/17 - AMC 8 Math Competition
Strategic Plan Focus Group (see details below)
11/18 - Strategic Plan Focus Group (see details below)
11/19 - Girl Talk Meeting
11/24 - 8th Grade Turkey Bowl (see details below)
Celebration of Voice Assembly
11/25 - No School
11/26 - Happy Thanksgiving!
11/27 - No School
11/30 - Blake Site Council Mtg (3:30 p.m.)
12/1 - Grade 6 Chorus and Grades 6-8 Orchestra Concert (7 p.m.)
12/3 - Girl Talk Meeting
12/4 - Term 1 Ends
7th/8th Grade Dance (7-9 p.m.)
12/7 - Blake Band Concert
12/9 - Spaghetti with Santa
12/10 - Grades 7/8 Chorus Concert (7 p.m.)
12/11 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
12/16 - 1/2 Day for Students
12/23 - 7th Grade to A Christmas Carol
12/24-1/1 - Vacation
1/1 - Happy New Year!
1/4 - School Resumes
Topic/Question for the Dinner Table
To help encourage conversations about the process of change and innovation, the topic/question of the week is...
Wholesale Change
(A look at what it would mean to you to change the things you do now at work)
Do you think you can go all in on wholesale change?
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
- not knowing if the risk justifies the reward
- not not knowing if the content will lose out too much to the process
- not knowing if there will be enough time to really do it right, under the current system
- not knowing if enough students will benefit from such a paradigm shift
- not knowing if this will improve the chances that students will establish a proficient independent learner profile
Cradles to Crayons - 7th Grade
In January/February of 2016 our 7th grade will be running a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. Please set aside any clothing donations in advance. Thank you!
26 Days of Kindness
The three year anniversary of the tragic events in Newtown will be upon us shortly. At Blake, we will be continuing a tradition started two years ago by honoring those who died that day by asking everyone in the Blake community to participate in 26 Days of Kindness. On the document, you will see the acts of kindness are not 'big', nor are they complicated, yet each can make an impact on someone, including each of us. On Friday of each week you will see that the acts are a little 'bigger' in nature. We encourage you to print out the document and post it in a public spot (i.e. refrigerator) for your entire family to reference during the next month. We are going to document these days and put them together in a way that we can refer back to easily and remind ourselves that kindness is something we all can practice every day. During the weekend or over the Thanksgiving holiday, if you see your student partaking in an act of kindness and could take a picture or video, please send it to Marissa Gumas ([email protected]).
Grade 7 Egyptian Presentation
We are culminating our study of those fascinating Ancient Egyptians. On Friday, November 13, 2015, students and teachers were treated to a special program funded by Blake’s CSA for the fourth consecutive year. Egyptologist, Paulette Morin, presented Having Fun with Pyramids and Pharaohs; the program is designed for middle school students and enriches the seventh grade unit on Ancient Egypt. In addition to learning more about the history, myths, and mummification process, students modeled Egyptian jewelry.
ADL Update
Since completing the three all-day trainings with ADL representative Mr. Rob Jones (who is also a faculty member at the College of the Holy Cross), the Peer Leaders have met every Friday after school. We've spent each meeting discussing and strategizing ways to make the culture at Blake more accepting for all students. Here is a link to a post in the Blake Ledger - Blake ADL Update.
How to Raise an Adult - Book Discussion Group for Parents
As shared at the end of last year and in previous blog posts, one of my hopes for this year was to initiate a book discussion group for parents and educators. I am pleased to share that the Blake Site Council will be reading and discussing HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. For more information, here is a book review from The New York Times...
HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims. We will be reading it throughout the year, taking time to discuss the ideas presented and have a common, shared experience. The discussions will take place at the end of each Site Council meeting (more information/details to come - our first book group will be 4:30 p.m. on Monday, 11/30). All parents are invited to join us. If you are interested in joining the book discussions, please fill out this Google Form: How to Raise an Adult Blake Book Group
School Absences
This is a reminder for parents that a student's absence or tardiness must be reported by a written note or a parental telephone call to the school absence line (508-242-8501) by 8 a.m. Absence from school for vacation purposes is discouraged. However, we are aware that some parents make the decision to take their student out of school based on specific circumstances that may allow for the family to be together or for the student to gain a different educational experience. We strongly request that student vacations or family obligations be scheduled within the framework of the school calendar. When parents/guardians do remove students from school, we request that two weeks notice is provided to the administration so that teachers can be notified. Should parents keep a child out of school for vacation purposes, they are assuming the responsibility for their child to make up the work. It should be recognized that teachers can not realistically provide work to take the place of instruction missed during planned absences. Since assignments are based on material that has been previously taught, work can not in most cases be identified until after the child returns Academic and special education teachers will not provide make-up instruction or tutorials.
Medfield Public Schools Guidance Counselor Blog!
http://medfieldguidance.blogspot.com/
The purpose of this blog is to increase awareness and raise professional knowledge of the role of the School Counselor. With technology firmly embedded into our school community, the Medfield Public Schools Guidance Counselors have created a blog to promote our department, to stay active and knowledgeable in our field, and stay connected with our school community. Please check it out! You can follow our blog by entering your email address to receive notification when the blog is updated.
Blake Magazine Drive Information
The annual Blake Magazine Drive Fundraiser is running through Wednesday, November 18. This is the 17th year of the drive. Money raised over the years has allowed us to buy high tech educational equipment, funded author visits, subsidized field trips and much, much more! Students can also receive prizes from their sales including a cell phone stand,a light-up cell phone charging cord, a flashlight pen, a portable power bank, and a selfie stick. Any homeroom where at least 50% of students sell just one subscription will receive a mechanical pig. The pigs can be customized for speed and will participate in our all-school pig race in the gym - the culminating event - of our Tuesday, November 24 Thanksgiving Assembly. Go towww.gaschoolstore.com for online orders (School ID #2671626). Contact Assistant Librarian, Donna Knott ([email protected]) with any questions. Thanks for your support.
Parent iPad Survey Fall 2015
As you know we are continually working on assessing our programs and are looking to gain insight from our students and parents to provide feedback. We have developed a survey that is being distributed electronically to all 6th-8th grade students and parents as part of a data collection assessment for the iPad Initiative. The questions will hopefully serve as a pre-assessment (beginning of year) tool and we will be administering similar surveys mid-year and at the end of the year as well. The questions have to do with organizational skills, executive functioning, and comfort with technology. Questions are being sent to all three grades. The survey is not an evaluative tool of the teachers or the students; rather, it is a tool that we believe will help us gain insight about the initiative, our programming, and technology. The questionnaire is anonymous, and your identity can not and will not be discovered through the completion of this survey. Please take the time to complete a unique survey for each student you have at Blake Middle School. You will see that the survey is for both students and parents, and students will be given time in school to complete it. It is important we only get one response per student. We sincerely appreciate your honest responses and are hoping for 100% participation from the student body and parents. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes of your time. Your sincere responses are essential to our information-gathering vision and mission. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Link to the survey: Student/Parent iPad Survey Fall 2015
Private School Information
For those families looking to apply to private school for next year, please make sure all materials (all teacher recommendation forms, transcript request, an 8x11 envelope and 4 stamps per envelope) are to the guidance office at least 3 weeks prior to the application due date. We want to make sure the teachers have sufficient time to provide thoughtful letters for all students applying. If the forms will be sent electronically to the teachers, please email Mrs. Avery and your student's guidance counselor to inform them. Mrs. Avery tracks all applications and makes sure they get out in time. Any questions, please contact Ms. Allen (6th), Mrs. Dondero (7th) or Mr. Marenghi (8th).
Strategic Plan Focus Groups: Parents Wanted!!
Medfield School Committee is hosting Strategic Plan Focus Groups on November 17 and 18
See Schedule on www.medfield.net
The Medfield School Committee has begun the process of developing a 5 year strategic plan. This plan will outline the direction of the district to make sure our students are prepared for our changing world. This is a community effort and it involves outreach, analysis and prioritization. An important component of the strategic plan is to conduct focus groups to gather feedback on what should be preserved and what can be improved. We understand that education in Medfield is a strong community value, therefore we want to hear what you have to say...please come and participate in one of our focus groups!
All Medfield Community Members Invited:
Parents of Students: Past, Present and Future; Teachers/Staff; Current Students; Former Students; Parents of students with IEP's and 504 plans; Town Officials; Administrators; Seniors, MEMO Members
Turkey Bowl - 8th Grade
8th Graders will once again take to the gridiron this year in an attempt to raise food for the Medfield Food Cupboard and raise student awareness that there are local families in need. The annual event is called the Turkey Bowl and this year it will take place on Tuesday, November 24. Students are asked to sign-up, in teams of four, with their Physical Education Teachers. As an entry fee, students will be required to bring in one non-perishable food item per player. This is an exciting and fun event and we are hoping to get every 8th grader to play.
Message from MHS National Honor Society
Please stop by Medfield High School on December 12th, 2015 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM to support this MHS National Honor Society dual event. At the main entrance (by the office) of the school, the society will be partnering with the organization Big Brother Big Sister to collect the following items:
* Gently used clothing & shoes (adults & kids - all sizes; all seasons)
* Small household items
* Gently used bed linens, spreads/quilts
* (note that BBBS can no longer accept electronics, large appliances, or furniture)
Not only will you be helping the recipients of your donations, but you will also be helping members of the class of 2016. For every pound of donations collected, BBBS will award NHS with 5, 10, or 20 cents (depending on the total lbs collected). This money will be applied to the NHS scholarship fund for graduating seniors!
In the school cafeteria (on the other side of the building) other NHS members will be participating in our annual holiday gift-wrap event. Gift wrapping is FREE but we gladly accept donations. All donations will go towards the National Honor Society fund. Thank you in advance for your support! Please invite local friends and family to this event to spread the word. Contact MHS National Honor Society advisor, Ms. Bethany Sancher at [email protected]t with any further questions or concerns.
Angel Run News
It's training week 8. Race day is fast approaching. Three non-consecutive days this week do 15 minutes of running with a 1 minute walking break and another 15 minutes of running. Consider taking your run in downtown Medfield and check out the special 10th Anniversary Angel Run keepsake for sale at Park St. Books.
And, here's a special opportunity for students. Come help decorate the Angel Run route! Come make posters at the annual Angel Run Poster Making Party on Tuesday, 12/1 from 2:15-3:15 in the BMS Cafeteria. All materials provided. Come for all or a portion of the time. Artists and non-artists welcome!
K-8 PTO News
IMPORTANT SCRIP UPDATE
After many successful years of fundraising, the SCRIP program is retiring from Medfield. This program raised thousands of dollars over the last several years and many volunteers put in countless hours to help make this program work. The participation in SCRIP has diminished to a place where it no longer makes sense to run the program. Thanks to ALL those who helped make it work, we appreciate all you did!!! Park Street Books still has SCRIP cards available until we sell out....so visit soon before they are all gone!
MEDFIELD SPIRIT WEAR
Customize everything yourself or see what your kids can create! Choose from t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, pants, bags, hats, blankets & more. Spend $85 or more and receive a FREE customized t-shirt. 12% of proceeds from each order will go to your school’s PTO. This is all you have to do:
Go to http://www.shop.mylocker.net
Enter your school locker number - BLAKE BD979 and use the promo code b2g6dTK1 to receive $10 off every order you place
NOTE: Due to different branding sizes, make sure to check all size charts when ordering to ensure you get a great fit for each product.Use MyLocker to create apparel for your teams, clubs, service groups, and more. The possibilities are endless! Please contact Laura Zaher [email protected] with any questions.
ZEBRA’S FLATBREAD FRIDAYS FUNDRAISER
No need to cook on a Friday night after a crazy week! Enjoy a delicious flatbread from Zebra’s and support the Medfield Public Schools at the same time. 10% of the proceeds from flatbreads sold via take-out or in the restaurant on Friday evenings will be donated to the Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE) and Medfield K-8 PTO. Please contact Kim Price [email protected] with any questions.
BOX TOPS
Please cut out your Box Tops and have your child bring them to the Blake office or their advisory. Visit http://www.boxtops4education.com/coupons for coupons on participating Box Tops products!
MEETING MINUTES
Please find the 10/22/15 Blake PTO meeting minutes in the Thursday Packet or click here 10/22/15 Blake PTO meeting minutes
NEXT BLAKE PTO MEETING
New date: Tuesday, December 15th @ 7:00 pm in the Blake LMC.
OPEN VOLUNTEER POSITION
We really need your help! If we do not find a volunteer for this position, this fundraiser will go away! Local Business Coordinator - This is the liaison that works with Subway, Go Fresh and La Groceria for Blake dinner nights. Please contact Maura Gerardi at [email protected] if you are interested in this position.
BAY STATE TEXTILES
Just a reminder that the textile bins accept clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, linens, accessories, and stuffed animals are as long as they are in clean and dry condition. This helps the PTO fundraise, helps the town save on disposal fees and helps the environment! Last year we raised $3,000 for our schools! Please keep those donations coming! If the bin at your school is full, please feel free to drop off at any school or at the bin at the Transfer Station.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Please like us on Facebook Medfield K-8 PTO , follow us on Twitter MedfieldK8PTO and check out our websitehttp://medfieldpto.weebly.com
MCPE News
Many thanks to those students and community members who turned out for MCPE’s Student Trivia Challenge and Community Trivia Night. They were fun-filled successful events, the proceeds of which will be used to enrich Medfield students' curriculum.
Mark your calendars for the return of MCPE's outstanding and much anticipated online auction of “Treasured Experiences”. Featuring unique opportunities for students to spend time with their favorite teachers, this online auction will run from Monday, November 30-December 4th. Be sure to start your holiday shopping on Cyber Monday at medfieldcoalition.org.
Are you looking for a way to let your child's teacher, a school staff member, a coach, a bus driver or an administrator know just how much you and your child appreciate them? Consider MCPE's Blue Ribbon Program. It is an easy and thoughtful way to recognize the efforts of a member of our school community during the holiday season. Each person recognized with a donation will receive a card, customized with a thank you note from you, indicating that a donation was made in his or her honor. To thank a school member with this Blue Ribbon recognition, please go to the MCPE website: medfieldcoalition.org. Blue Ribbon requests submitted by Friday, December 18th will be delivered by December 23rd for the 2015-2016 holiday period.
Medfield Music Association
Raffle basket items are now needed for the 42nd annual Spaghetti with Santa! Even if your children have outgrown this annual event, you can still have fun contributing to its success by donating items to the raffle baskets, such as toys, books, gift cards, craft supplies, sports/snow items, DVDs, dolls, etc. Individual items will be grouped together into themed baskets, and you also have the option of making your own basket to donate. Collection boxes can be found in the Blake lobby and in the MHS Music Room. Deadline to donate is Dec. 1; proceeds benefit the Medfield Music Program.